Striking clock with electric winding mechanism and running reserve



C. DOLL Nov; 24, 1931.

STRIKING CLOCK WITH ELECTRIC WINDING MECHANISM AND RUNNING RESERVE Filed Feb. 15. 1929 Patented Nov. 24, 1931 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CARL 'IDOLL, OF KOIBLENZ, GERMANY, ASSIGNOR TO FRIEDRICH MAUTHE G. M. B. H.,

UHRENFABRIKEN, F SCH'WENNINGEN, GERMANY STRIKING CLOCK WITH ELECTRIC WINDING MECHANISM AND RUNNING RESERVE Application filed February 15, 1929, Serial No. 340,235, and in Germany February 24, 1928.

This invention relates to a striking clock with electric winding mechanism and running reserve.

The novelty consists in that the movement is coupled with the core of-the main spring,

common for the movement and for the striking mechanism, by a differential gear, which by stopping the arbor connected to the pinion transmits to the movement the driving energy of the spring and effects by rotating the arbor with the pinion the winding of the spring. The novelty Consists further in that on a threaded extension of the spring core having a longitudinal bore a disc is rotating as travelling nut, said disc being driven by the running down of the movement and striking mechanism together or separately by each of the two in the same direction, while at the winding it is returned again. At an angle to the axis of the springcore a shaft is mounted with which an anchor is rigidly connected. A disc-shaped travelling nut acts upon said anchor so that at the to and fro movement of the travelling nut an oscillation up to 90 is imparted to an arm connected with the shaft whereby contacts are closed or opened.

In comparison with commonly used constructions the advantage is obtained, that the commonly used weight may be omitted. The clock need further not be adjusted to the ac curately perpendicular position, and the construction is considerably simplified as only one spring and one spring barrel are required for operating both mechanisms Sufficient energy remains to serve as running reserve in case the current should fail.

The gear train can be made in the simplest possible manner Withoutbevel wheels.

An embodiment of the invention is illustrated by way of example in the accompanying drawings in which Fig. 1 is a front elevation,

Fig. 2 a side elevation and Fig. 8 a section on line III-III of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 shows the arbor.

Fig. 5 shows in side elevation several elements put together.

Fig. 6 is a front elevation of the clock work put together and Fig. 7 is a side elevation of Fig. 6.

The arbor a carries a pinion b meshing with planet wheels 0 and d. The wheels 0 and (Z mesh further with the inner teeth 6 of a wheel 9. The two planet wheels 0 and d are rotatably mounted on studs 7" as shown in Fig. '53 1, said studs being fixed on a disc f. Heads i of the studs 1" secure the planet wheels 0 and d in their position and prevent slipping of the same- The wheel g with the inner teeth 6 is partly constructed as a hollow body and B!) mounted 011 the arbor a so that the pinion b is accommodated in the hollow space ofwheel g in which also the planet wheels 0, d and the disc fare accommodated.

On the arbor a a spring core h is further "80 rotatably mounted, on which a spring barrel 4) with spring j is secured. The disc f is screwed on the spring core h. The spring barrel '0 has a tooth rim o and drives the wheels w, 'z z of the striking mechanism, while the outer teeth of wheel 9 serve to drive the movement at, 3

The arbor is mounted in plates 70, Z, one end of the arbor being extended and projects from the plate Z, this extension being designed to receive the driving wheel driven from the motor (Fig. 7).

The spring core h is threaded on the portion extending from the spring barrel '0. A nut 25 is screwed on this threaded portion so T30 that it can be-moved to and fro. Guide ins w fixed on the bottom plate of the spring arrlil 42 extend through corresponding holes in C so It.

, 7 On the plate is bearings m, n are arranged in which a'shaft 0 is journalled which cooperates with an anchor 19, the shaft 0 has on one end an arm 9 designed to act as switchlever.

The shaft 0 is preferably arranged at right' angles to the arbor a of the spring core.-

The operation is as follows When the arbor a withpinion 12 rotates, the planet wheels 0 and d are also rotated. As the wheel 9 issecured in its position by the movement of the clock, the wheels 0 and d roll along the inn-er teeth 6 of wheel 9, whereby the spring core 71. isrotated and the spring 7 j wound. The counter pressure of the planet wheels 0 and all acts at the same time upon the wheel 9 and drives forward the movement. After the winding is finished, the arbor a is locked against backward rotation by a ratchet mechanism, in a manner known per se. The planet wheels 0 and (Z roll then on the pinion I) under the pressure of the pull spring and keep the clockwork running, as they rotate the wheel 9 through the inner teeth 6 of the same. As the outer end of the pull spring is hooked into the spring barrel, the necessary energy is also supplied to the striking mechanism.

At the striking of the clock the spring barrel rotates, whereby the nut 16 is screwed for instance in right hand direction. Atthe running down of the clockwork the spring core rotates in opposite direction but screws the nut t in the same direction in which it is screwed by the spring barrel at the striking. The travel of nut 25 is proportional to the unwinding of the spring. The sum of the rotations of the spring barrel and of the spring core is therefore also proportional to the total unwinding of the spring, immaterial at which end of the spring the unwinding takes place.

The nut t, when being shifted, strikes against the anchor 79 and oscillates the same and through it shaft 0 and the switch lever (1 so that the contact is closed in the usual manner. At the renewed winding of the spring effected from the motor, the nut t is screwed back until it str kes against the other arm of the anchor 10 so that. bv renewed part rotation of shaft 0 and oscillation of the switch lever the circuit is interrupted.

The shaft 0 is arranged so that at the closing of the circuit the pullspring has unwound only partly in order that, at an accidental cutting of the circuit, the rema nder of the spring power in combination with the distance along which the nut 15 has still to travel SBIVGS as running reserve.

l. In a clock of the character described, the combination of a winding arbor, two driving wheels one for the clock movement and the other for the striking mechanism mounted rotatably on said arbor, a spring barrel connected to one of said driving wheels, a sleeve mounted rotatably on the arbor, a driving spring having one end connected to the barrel and the other to said sleeve, :1. disc on said sleeve, two gear wheels mounted rotatably on said disc and meshing with an internally toothed rim on the second driving wheel, and a pinion secured to the winding arbor and meshing with said gear wheels.

2. A structure as claimed in claim 1 where- 1n the sleeve has a screw-threaded portion, a

I nut mounted on said portion, pins on the spring barrel engaging said nut so as to prevent relative rotary displacement of nut and barrel, and an electric switch arm arranged so as to be operated by said nut on the latter being axially displaced on the sleeve.

3. A structure as claimed in claim 1 wherein the sleeve has a screw-threaded portion, a nut mounted on said portion, pins on the spring barrel engaging said nut so as to prevent relative rotary displacement of nut and barrel, a shaft arranged at right angles to the sleeve, an anchor on said shaft arranged so as to be engaged by said nut for rocking the shaft on the nut being axially displaced on the sleeve and an electric switch arm secured to said shaft.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature.

CARL DOLL. 

